1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to device control, and more particularly to a remote control unit for a programmable multimedia controller that controls a variety of electronic devices, such as audio devices, video devices, telephony devices, data devices, security devices, motor-operated devices, relay-operated devices, Internet access/browser devices, general-purpose computers, handicap assistance devices, and/or other types of devices.
2. Background Information
With the ever increasing complexity of electronic devices, simple yet effective device control is becoming increasingly important. While once electronic devices could adequately be controlled with only a handful of analog knobs and switches, modern electronic devices often present users with a vast array of configurable options and parameters, which require complex controls to manipulate and select. In response to users' demands for “convenience,” these controls are often implemented on handheld remote control units, which use Infrared (IR), radio-frequency (RF), or other types of signals to interface with the electronic devices being controlled. Yet actual convenience is seldom achieved with conventional remote control units.
Users are typically burdened with having to manipulate a number of separate, device-specific remote control units, each of which typically implements a different control scheme. Thus, to perform even basic functions, a user must have all the required remote control units on hand, and be familiar with how to manipulate each one. Further, the user must understand how their devices are interconnected, so that they may select appropriate inputs for passing signals between the devices. For example, if a user desires to watch a DVD movie with the lights dimmed and a telephone ringer suppressed, he may have to operate three Audio/Video (A/V) remote control units, one for a DVD player, one for a television, and one for an Audio/Video (A/V) receiver, as well as a remote control unit for a device controller, such as an X10™ lighting controller, in addition to manipulating a handset of a cordless telephone (in a sense, yet another remote control unit). Each of these remote control units generally operates differently, and the user must transition between several control schemes to perform the desired functions. Further, the user must select the proper inputs for each device, for example so that the video signals from the DVD player will make their way through the A/V receiver for display on the television.
Many of the control schemes commonly employed with remote control units are non-intuitive and difficult to use. Most remote control units are designed with a button-centric paradigm, such that numerous function-specific buttons are crowded into a relatively small space on the face of the remote control unit. The crowded button layout of button-centric remote control units often makes it difficult to select a desired button from the many buttons available, especially in low-light conditions. If a user inadvertently presses the “wrong” button, a device may perform an unwanted action or enter an undesired mode or state. This may confuse or aggravate the user. Further, sometimes a user may be uncertain which button to press in order to activate a desired function. In such a situation, the user may have to decipher abbreviated (often cryptic) legends printed on, or about, the buttons of the remote control unit. As these legends are often only a few characters long, a user may have to refer to a manual to determine what the legends mean, and what functions are associated with each button. In short, many button-centric remote control units are far from intuitive and easy-to-use.
Furthermore, while a variety of so-called “universal” remote control units exist that claim to improve upon the shortcomings of device-specific remote control units, conventional “universal” remote controls generally fall far short of their claims. Typical “universal” remote control units simply map the functionality of the buttons of device-specific remote control units to buttons of the “universal” remote control. The underlying control schemes are generally not altered. So, while the control schemes of the device specific remote control units are all implemented on a single remote control unit, they are not unified or simplified in any way. Further, since conventional “universal” remote control units attempt to control a range of devices, they typically have even more buttons with cryptic legends than device-specific remote controls. Thus, the problems of a button-centric paradigm are aggravated. Also, most “universal” remote control units tend to be far from universal, as they typically do not operate with devices other than audio and video devices. For example, conventional “universal” remote controls do not generally include functionality for controlling telephony devices, data devices, security devices, motor-operated devices, relay-operated devices, Internet access/browser devices, general-purpose computers, handicap assistance devices, and/or other types of devices.
In addition, a variety of high-end touch-panel controllers exist that purport to improve upon device-specific remote control units. For example, Crestron Electronics, Inc. of Rockleigh, N.J. offers a line of high-end touch-panel controllers that are widely available. These touch-panel controllers incorporate central processor units, graphics controllers, I/O interfaces and other complex components similar to those found in portable computers, rendering them complicated and costly to manufacture. Further, such touchscreen controllers generally require extensive custom programming to adapt to particular installations. Thus, their complexity and cost renders them unsuitable for many applications.
Furthermore, high-end touch-panel controllers, conventional “universal” remote control units, and device specific remote control units typically lack any type of location-awareness, i.e. the ability to incorporate knowledge of the remote control unit's current location into the control scheme, or user-awareness, i.e. the ability to incorporate knowledge of the remote control unit's current user into the control scheme. This burdens the user, requiring the user to make making all location dependent decisions themselves and forgo the convenience of user-dependent control.
For example, considering the lack of location dependent control in conventional systems, suppose a user has several televisions in his or her home, and wishes to turn on a television located in the room in which he or she is sitting. With a conventional remote control unit capable of controlling all the televisions, the user generally must select the particular television with a first button of the remote control. The user must remember which button this is, or the remote control unit must be labeled in some way. Only after the correct television is selected, may the user select a second button to actually turn it on. A guest or other person unfamiliar with the remote control unit, and its control scheme, may not know which television corresponds with which button. Thus, a simple action may become quite daunting, and require trial and error to execute.
As the number of devices controlled by a remote control unit grows, the difficulties caused by a lack of location-awareness become even more apparent. For example, suppose a user has configured lighting fixtures throughout a home to be operable remotely using a device controller, such as an X10™ lighting controller. In such a configuration the lighting fixtures may readily be turned on and off with a remote control unit. Yet using a conventional control scheme on the remote control unit, a user would be required to select from a long list of available lighting fixtures, often mapped to dozens of different buttons, to simply turn on the fixture in the room he or she is entering. As is apparent, this would be quite burdensome to do each time one desires to turn on a light, and much of the convenience of remotely controlled lighting is lost.
Similarly, turning to the lack of user-dependent control in conventional systems, suppose several users each have their own individual preferences relating to control schemes, for example, individual preferences for certain options to be displayed, certain colors to be used, and/or other aesthetic or functional preferences. With a conventional system, even if a mechanism is provided to adjust these parameters, the same adjustment will be shown to all users. A user who desires to have his or her own personal control scheme is not accommodated.
What is needed is an improved remote control unit that addresses the above described shortcomings. Such a remote control unit should operate with a programmable multimedia control for controlling and interconnecting a variety of electronic devices, such as audio devices, video devices, telephony devices, data devices, security devices, motor-operated devices, relay-operated devices, Internet access/browser devices, general-purpose computers, handicap assistance devices, and/or other types of devices.